Fisk University proposes to upgrade the research environment at the institution and improve the research capabilities of potential biomedical scientists through research participation by faculty and students, both graduate and undergraduate, in a variety of basic science projects. These projects will mainly be directed toward: (1) the preparation and testing of compounds of medicinal value, (2) the development of a method that can be used to quantitatively analyze epinephrine and norepinephrine in urine samples, using Raman spectroscopic techniques, and (3) acquiring a better understanding of the physiological ecology of a pathogenic protozoan, Entamoeba gingivalis.